Predators' Justus Annunen: Sharp in first win with Nashville
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Annunen turned aside 35 shots in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Stars.
The 24-year-old was impressive en route to his first win since being traded to Nashville, with Lian Bichsel spoiling his shutout bid midway through the third period. Annunen was a victim of Colorado's defensive struggles earlier in the season, but in two appearances since being shipped to Nashville, he's allowed only three goals on 65 shots for a .954 save percentage while backing up Juuse Saros.
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Predators' Justus Annunen: Set to start Thursday
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Annunen will protect the road goal versus the Stars on Thursday, Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site reports.
Annunen lost his Predators debut last Thursday, allowing two goals on 29 shots in a 3-0 loss to the Canadiens. The 24-year-old will look to get the Predators back on track, as they have lost eight straight games (0-5-3). The Stars are a tough matchup, having won four of their last six contests with 20 goals scored over that span.
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Predators' Justus Annunen: Loses in team debut
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Annunen stopped 27 of 29 shots in Thursday's 3-0 loss to the Canadiens. The third goal was an empty-netter with 46 seconds left in the third period.
Annunen made his first appearance for his new club since being traded from the Avalanche on Nov. 30, but the 24-year-old couldn't secure the win. Annunen is expected to hold the same role he had with Colorado, and he'll operate as Juuse Saros' backup between the pipes.
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Predators' Justus Annunen: Set to start Thursday
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Annunen is expected to start on the road against Montreal on Thursday, per Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site.
Annunen had a 6-4-0 record, 3.22 GAA and .872 save percentage in 11 appearances with Colorado this season before he was traded to Nashville on Saturday. This will be his first start with his new squad. Montreal is in a three-way tie for 22nd in goals per game with 2.80.
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Predators' Justus Annunen: Dealt to Music City
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Annunen and a sixth-round pick in 2025 were dealt from Colorado to Nashville on Saturday in exchange for Scott Wedgewood.
As a member of the Predators, Annunen will be the backup goalie behind Juuse Saros. The 24-year-old Annunen has a 6-4-0 record with a 3.22 GAA and an .872 save percentage in 11 appearances this campaign.
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Avalanche's Justus Annunen: Pulled off, then returns Monday
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Annunen stopped 11 of 16 shots in Monday's 8-2 loss to the Lightning.
Annunen gave up three goals on seven shots before he was pulled at 10:03 of the first period, but he returned at the start of the third period and allowed two more goals in the final frame. The 24-year-old has been struggling of late, posting a 2-3-0 record with a 4.17 GAA and an .826 save percentage over his last five appearances. He should remain as the backup of Alexandar Georgiev going forward.
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Avalanche's Justus Annunen: Facing Tampa Bay
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Annunen will be between the road pipes for Monday's contest against the Lightning.
Annunen made 24 saves on 26 shots en route to a 3-2 win over the Flyers in his last appearance. The 24-year-old will have a tough matchup against a Tampa Bay club that ranks fifth in the NHL with 3.58 goals per game through 19 outings. Annunen has an 6-3-0 record, .886 save percentage and 2.81 GAA through 10 appearances.
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Avalanche's Justus Annunen: Draws start Tuesday
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Annunen will tend twine in Tuesday's home matchup versus Seattle, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reports.
Annunen will make his eighth appearance and sixth start of the 2024-25 campaign. The Finnish netminder has posted a 4-2-0 record, .899 save percentage and 2.58 GAA. The Kraken sit 22nd in the league with 2.77 goals per game through 13 contests.
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Avalanche's Justus Annunen: Takes loss Saturday
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Annunen stopped 20 of 23 shots in Saturday's 5-2 loss to the Predators. The last two goals were empty-netters.
The Avalanche got within a goal late thanks to Nathan MacKinnon, but the Predators found the empty cage twice after that. Annunen put in a decent effort, but his four-game winning streak was snapped anyway. He's allowed seven goals on 53 shots over his last two contests, dropping to 4-2-0 with a 2.58 GAA and an .899 save percentage across seven games (five starts) overall. Annunen has been the best of the Avalanche's goaltenders, but he's currently in a three-man rotation that also features Alexandar Georgiev and Kaapo Kahkonen. Considering the team is entertaining the idea of three goalies while running short on healthy forwards, this is a fantasy crease situation that could quickly get ugly if one of the netminders doesn't get hot soon -- all three have been on the losing end of 5-2 results in the last week. The Avalanche host the Kraken on Tuesday.
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Avalanche's Justus Annunen: Set to be healthy scratch Wednesday
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Annunen will be a healthy scratch for Wednesday's home game against Tampa Bay, per Corey Masisak of The Denver Post.
Kaapo Kahkonen is getting the start Wednesday, while Alexandar Georgiev will serve as the backup. Annunen has a 4-1-0 record, 2.47 GAA and .905 save percentage across six appearances this season. This likely isn't a sign that he has fallen out of favor with head coach Jared Bednar. Instead, this is more of a byproduct of the Avalanche having three goaltenders on their roster.
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Avalanche's Justus Annunen: Starting vs. Sens
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Annunen will guard the home net Sunday against Ottawa, Corey Masisak of The Denver Post reports.
It'll be the fourth straight start for Annunen, who's gone 3-0-0 with a .949 save percentage in his previous three outings. He'll face a hot Senators' offense that's averaging 3.71 goals per game to start the year.
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Avalanche's Justus Annunen: Sharp again in third straight win
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Annunen stopped 25 of 26 shots in Thursday's 5-1 win over Utah.
Annunen has started three games in a row, allowing just four goals on 79 shots in that span. The Avalanche have won all three of those contests, and it's possible that Annunen has temporarily taken over the No. 1 job between the pipes. He's 3-1-0 through five appearances, and he's yet to allow more than two goals in any outing. The Avalanche's next game is Sunday versus the Senators.
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Avalanche's Justus Annunen: Sturdy performance in win
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Annunen turned aside 25 of 27 shots in Tuesday's 3-2 victory over Seattle.
Annunen has now won back-to-back starts, and he's likely earned himself a larger share of the netminding workload as a result of Alexandar Georgiev's early-season struggles. Annunen has posted a 2-1-0 record, .900 save percentage and 2.45 GAA across four appearances. The 24-year-old's next chance to extend his win streak to three will come in a road matchup with Utah on Thursday.
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Avalanche's Justus Annunen: Starting in Seattle
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Annunen will protect the road net in Tuesday's game versus the Kraken, Jesse Montano of Guerilla Sports reports.
Annunen will be rewarded with a second straight start after giving up just one goal on 26 shots to defeat the Sharks on Sunday. The 24-year-old will face a tougher task against a Kraken team with 21 goals scored over six contests this season.
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Avalanche's Justus Annunen: Allows one goal in win
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Annunen stopped 25 of 26 shots in Sunday's 4-1 win over the Sharks.
Annunen made his first start of the season after appearing in relief in the first two games of the year. The 24-year-old had little trouble with the Sharks, allowing just a William Eklund power-play goal in the first period. Annunen has given up five goals on 43 shots over his three appearances, going 1-1-0. The Avalanche's slow start is well-documented, but each of Annunen and Alexandar Georgiev have won their most recent outing. The Avalanche visit the Kraken on Tuesday.
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Avalanche's Justus Annunen: Sharpens up Thursday
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Annunen stopped 21 of 22 shots in Thursday's 3-1 preseason win over the Golden Knights.
Annunen had his best outing of the preseason in this road win, quieting a group mostly consisting of Vegas' NHL players. The 24-year-old has allowed seven goals on 74 shots across three preseason appearances. This may have been his last action before Opening Night, though the Avalanche will have one more preseason game at Utah on Saturday.
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Avalanche's Justus Annunen: Starting versus Utah
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Annunen will be between the pipes for Sunday's exhibition contest against Utah, according to Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette.
Annunen is making his second start of the preseason -- the 24-year-old turned away 14 of 15 shots in Monday's exhibition loss to Dallas. The Finnish netminder is projected to take on a larger workload in 2024-25 after appearing in 14 contests for Colorado in 2023-24.
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Avalanche's Justus Annunen: Returning in backup role
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Annunen (illness) will back up Alexandar Georgiev on Friday for Game 3 versus Winnipeg, per Kyle Fredrickson of The Denver Gazette.
Annunen missed the first two games of the series with an illness, but he's now feeling well enough to sit on the bench as Georgiev's backup Friday. Annunen went 8-4-1 with a 2.25 GAA and a .928 save percentage in 14 regular-season appearances.
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Avalanche's Justus Annunen: Earns win in finale
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Annunen stopped 25 of 26 shots in Thursday's 5-1 victory over Edmonton.
It was another strong effort from Annunen, who held the Oilers to a lone power-play marker in the first period en route to a win in the regular-season finale. The 24-year-old netminder went 4-2-0 in his final seven games, posting a .926 save percentage. He'll finish the year 8-4-1 with an impressive .928 save percentage and 2.25 GAA. While Alexandar Georgiev figures to be Colorado's primary starter in the playoffs, Annunen has proven to be a more than capable backup option.
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Avalanche's Justus Annunen: Stops 44 in win
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Annunen stopped 44 of 46 shots in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Wild.
Annunen was stellar against a barrage of Minnesota shots Thursday, allowing just a pair of goals in a winning effort. It was the third straight appearance for the 24-year-old netminder -- he's gone 6-2-0 with an excellent .950 save percentage in his last eight outings. Overall, Annunen's 7-4-1 on the season with a .931 save percentage and 2.24 GAA while backing up Alexandar Georgiev. Georgiev figures to be back in net Friday in the second half of a back-to-back versus Edmonton.
